A solo exhibition of paintings by DC artist Billy Colbert, Gain the World, Lose Your Soul, opens on Friday September 24th at 7pm in Anacostia’s Honfleur Gallery. Edgy and controversial subject matter threads its way thematically through the work. From a close-up shot of a breast augmentation surgery to images sourced from blaxploitation films, the artist isn’t afraid to confront the culture of greed and manipulation he sees as blatant in modern American life.

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According to Colbert, this new body of paintings are “snapshots from America’s popular and unpopular culture… showcas[ing] a subtle tension that is a footnote to the American way of life that has left many fighting the future and mad at the past.” Using images appropriated from an increasingly graphics-based visual culture, Colbert references illustrative style from vintage pulp-fiction, advertising, and hollywood film posters.

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Black Life Magazine describes Colbert’s work as “beautiful, artistic creations about controversial issues.” With an original yet refined approach, Colbert is able to explore matters of society and culture through art. Critics have labeled his work “whimsical, edgy, loaded, as well as wonderful,” deeming it “enjoyable on many levels.”

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Colbert received his MFA in Painting from the University of Delaware in 2000, where he was a Presidential Fellow. The same year, Colbert was awarded best in show in the Carroll Harris Simms National Black Art Competition at the African American Museum in Dallas Texas. His solo shows include exhibitions at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, K Space Contemporary, Mason Murer Fine Art and Pyramid Atlantic. His work is in public and private collections in the USA and abroad, including the National Academy of Science and the Washington Convention Center, to name a few.